outdoor wiring

Scott Harman · Aug 24, 2015

Doing a job where I have to connect two outdoor light fittings on some brick gates...

I'm going to take the feed from the garage with SWA and mount a junction box on the bottom of the gate and take a switch wire to the lights...

My question is, can I use some form of flex from the junction box to the lights to make it look neater or any other type of cable?
as i don't think making off swa to a light fitting looks good?

Cables have to be visible up the wall.

Any info & advice would be awesome!

Fox · Aug 24, 2015

I'd take SWA into a through box and use that as your junction (on reverse of gate posts) and drill through into reverse of light? This way no wiring will be visible from front of house and reverse should look neat too, if done properly

Scott Harman · Aug 24, 2015

Thats what I was hoping they would ask for... But they want the lights on the inside of the gate, so if I was to do that you would see the wiring as you drive in, the only other option i thought of was drilling sideways and mount the junction box on the side but I risk damaging the brick

Fox · Aug 24, 2015

Sorry, I thought they wanted lights outside front of gate. I've been through at an angle before, but drill from light fitting to junction box.

That way, if you get a nasty exit (which you shouldn't if you drill carefully), it would be behind the junction box.

Start with a smaller masonry bit and follow with a larger one.

Unfortunately, customer's seem to expect the impossible sometimes...

telectrix · Aug 24, 2015

drill a smaller(10mm) hole first. drill so that the break through is covered by either the adaptable box or the light fitting, whichever is best. try and go through a mortar joint.